See a LARGER IMAGE in my Bird Photography gallery.

Short-eared Owls winter in Western Washington and every year I photograph them. So I have many photos of these owls but this shot of a Short-eared Owl takeoff is my favorite. The photo was taken on a sunny January afternoon several years ago. I found the owl perching on a stump and took quite a few shots of the resting bird. However, I hoped that if I was patient I could get a photo of the owl taking flight from the stump.

Patience paid off! After waiting several minutes the bird started to stir and then took flight. I kept my camera focused on the owl and fired off a continuous series of shots at a relatively high shutter speed of 1/1250 sec. Fortunately I caught a few in-focus shots of the owl just as it took flight and this was the best one.

The photo was selected for display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle for their 2017 Spirt of Flight juried photography exhibition.

Short-eared Owl Takeoff Wall Art

Contact me if if you are interested in a copy of this photo to hang on your wall. All of my photos are available as matted prints and prints on metal, acrylic or canvas. Here’s an example of a 24″ x 36″ metal print hanging over the couch.